Life, music and a 'Symphony of Tears'

Life, music and a 'Symphony of Tears'
Malookian's tribute to the Armenian Genocide will feature a musical circus for
children

By RANDY SYDNOR


The Pasadena Symphony will present a summertime edition of its free hands-on
Musical Circus for children featuring the Karapetyan String Quartet, an Armenian
ensemble 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
The popular, fun-filled event for children ages 10 and under will begin with a musical
instrument petting zoo, where youngsters can toot flutes, trumpets, baritone horns and
trombones, pluck violins and cellos and bang on percussion instruments.
It will be followed by a performance by the noted Karpetyan String Quartet, which
will perform an array of ethnic Armenian music geared for children.
The Armenian-themed children's event is being staged to kick off the West Coast
premiere of "Symphony of Tears," a major oratorio written by Armenian-American
composer Jeff Manookian commemorating the anniversary of the 1915 Armenian
genocide.
Manookian will conduct the premiere that evening, which will be performed by the
Oratorio Society of Utah with The Pasadena Symphony at the Civic Auditorium, 300
E. Green St.
Although The Pasadena Symphony has presented Musical Circus programs in
conjunction with its regular concert season since 1992, this marks the first time the
orchestra has offered a summer program.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for The Pasadena Symphony to reach the
Armenian-American community with meaningful musical programs for both adults and
children," said symphony's Executive Director Geoffrey Fontaine. "We are delighted to
partner with the Oratorio Society of Utah in his endeavor."
Highlights of the Musical Circus include a musical instrument "petting zoo" from 10
to 10:40 a.m. There kids will have the opportunity to handle a variety of music
instruments.
The second part of the program will feature a performance by the Karapetyan String
Quartet, whose Armenian-born members began their musical training in Armenia and,
subsequently, studied at such renowned institutions as the Komitas Conservatory of
Yerevan, the Moscow Conservatory and the University of Southern California.
Founded in 1997, the group's members include Sahak Karapetyan, first violin;
Hripsime Yepremyan, second violin; Herman Markossian, viola; and Garik Terzyan,
cello.
They have performed with such leading ensembles as the Armenian Philharmonic
Orchestra, Baroque Ensemble of "Takaran" and the Yanni Orchestra, and currently
play with the Pasadena Pops, New West Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Santa
Barbara Symphony, Riverside Philharmonic, Cal Philharmonic and the Redlands
Symphony.
The goal of the Musical Circus is to provide a broad and unique spectrum of
classical music experiences for youngsters, from playing instruments themselves to
hearing top professional musicians perform, in a warm, user-friendly environment.
Developed by The Pasadena Symphony eight years ago, the Musical Circus has
introduced thousands of children, many of whom had never before played an
instrument, to the world of classical music.
In addition to the Musical Circus, the orchestra presents several other education
programs including TEMPO! (Teaching Essentials of Music through Participation and
Observation), an in-depth, year-long, in-school program for selected kindergarten, first
and second grade classes that is designed to complement traditional classroom
curricula; a Mentor Program, which matches gifted instrumental students in the
Pasadena Unified School District with mentors from The Pasadena Symphony; and the
Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra and Prelude Strings, which offer rigorous
orchestral training programs to junior high school music students.
Reservations are not required for the Musical Circus, but for more information on
The Pasadena Symphony's free Musical Circus, please call (626) 793-7172 ext. 10.